Method of producing phenolic condensation products



Paesaa'se i. 3, 192 9.-

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrc-E.

rmnz xuna'rn, or cmoaeo, ILLINOIS, assrexon 'ro ECONOMY 'rUsE AND m'oracrozame oomramr, or crncaeo, LLmoIs, a oonrona'rron on NEW You.

METHOD 01? PBODUQING PHENOLIC CONDENBATI ON PRODUCTS.

Io Drawing.

5 phenolic condensation products may be prepared according to two processes, whichvare commonlyreferred to as one step react on and'two step reactions. Both of these processes as heretofore carried out have been 0 subject to certain criticisms. According to the one step reaction as heretofore used, it is extremely diflicult to free the potentially reactive intermediate product from water without obtaining a rubbery, insoluble, and I infusible product having no commercial utility.

The present invention relates more particularly to what is known asthe one step reaction, wherein methylene containing sub-' 2 stances are treated with a phenolic substance in the presence of a condensing agent .until separation into two layers occurs and until the resinous layer has acquired the desired consistency.

An object of thp present invention is to "provide a process wherebyjhe loss of formaldehyde may be reduced to a minimum. 1 A further object is 'to provide a process whereby the supernatant layer, of t e two layers referredto may be readily removed without endangering the excellence of the product. v

' A further object is to provide'a process involving the one step reaction which will reduce the cost-from priorpractice.

Further objectswill appear as the description proceeds. In' explaining the present invention,-the method of producing/phenolic condensation 40 products may be briefly referred to. In the preparation of such products, aphenolic body and a reactive meth lene group-com taining substance, such as ormaldehyde, are boiled under a reflux condenser in the pres- 5 once of furfuramide, which furfuramide may amount toapproximately 10 per cent by weight ofthe -ihenolic substance. It is to be understood that though furfuramide is preferred at this stage of-the' proceedings,

the invention also contemplates the use of -any other condensing agent, either basic,

acid, or neutral, or is ap licable in the ab-.

sence of a. condensing agent at this stage.

The proportions-of phenolic body and the- Application filed February 19, 1926. sum No. 119,435.

reactive methylene group containing substance chosen should be such that u on continued heating an infusible, insolu 10 body will result. These proportions are well known in the art and are approximately equimolecular. The boiling treatment may continue until separation into two layers occurs and until the resinous layer has acquired the desired consistency. The reaction is then stopped, by' cooling, if necessary, or by diluting with water.

After the reaction as above referred to has been stopped, additional furfuramide is stirred into the mixture. Sufficient furfuramide is added to cause the odor of formaldehyde to disappear from the supernatant water. Ari excess of furfuramide may be added, if preferred' Usually '15 to 25 per cent of furfuramide; reckoned on the phenolic body, is suflicient. Determination of the exact amount'of uncombined formaldfl:

hyde present in the supernatant liquid is unnecessary, since it is only necessary to add "an excess of furfura-mlde, the excess furfuramide having no deleterious effect. The exact nature of the reaction which occurs upon the addition of furfuramide is not known to applicant at present, but the result of the addition of furfuramide is the retention within the resinous layer of the reactive methylene groups in a nonvolatile'and reactive form. The supernatant water may then be decanted without loss of formaldehyde, and a potentially reactive resin is had which contains only a small amount of water and which contains sufli-' cient reactive methylene groups to form'an infusible product upon heating. no danger of obtaining arubbery, worthless .product, which danger has been present in the one step process as heretofore practiced. .Any small amounts of water still present in the resin may be removed by heating for a short time at temperatures below that at which hardening occurs, though for the.

f waterat most purposes, a small amount 0 this stage is not harmful. I

- The potentially reactive resin so obtained is adapted for any of the uses to which such There is products are ordinarily put, and is especially adapted for mixture with fillers and molding into infusible and insoluble articles by .the combined action of heat and'pressure- Molded articles made from the resin-pro-- duced by the above improved process possesses high electrical and chemical resistance and do not blister when subjected to high temperatures. Furthermore, molding 5 composition including this process flows well in themolcl, and hardeus very rapidly, due to the fact that the furfuramide actsas a plasticizing agent and as a condensing agent. 4

It will be noted that condensing agents other than furfuramide may he used in the initial reaction previous to the addition of the furfuramide, which serves to remove the formaldehyde in the supernatant aqueous layer. For example, sodium hydroxide, or an acid such as oxalic acid, may be used, or aneutral condensing agent may be used, or a condensing agent may be omitted entirely in said initial reaction. In the event that an acid is used in said initialreaction, it is desirable to neutralize said acid before the addition of'the furfuramide, for the reason that the presence of an acid tends to develop a dark colorin the final product.

In any case, it is necessary to. have sufiicient reactive methylene group containing substance present to combine with all of the phenolic body, since if there should be a deciency of reactive methylene group containing substance, some of the furfuramide would enter into combination with thephenolic body during the conversion of the intermediate product into .the final product, re-

sulting in a substance containing free amnionia, which would, of course, be undesira le. 7

Though in the above description the term furfuramide has been used, it will occur to those skilled in the art that it is pos 40 sible to use hydrobenzamide, which, though differing in chemical structure from 'furfuramide, has very many of the characteristics of furfuramide. In the claims 'which accompan this specification the term furfuramide is to be given a broad interpre- .tation to include equivalents thereof, such as hydrobenzamide.

The present invention has the advantage. homologous phenols, such as that very chea the mixture 0 isomeric xylenols '(known in the market as cresylic acid), may be utilized. i i

It is intended in this case to cover all modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims, i 1

What is claimed is- 1. The method of treating the resultant fusible substance accruing from the reaction of a reactive methylene group containing substance and a phenolic substance, the methylene group containing substance being present} suflicient quantity so that an infusible ct would result upon heating, which con st's in adding furfuramide thereto in sufi cient'ijfiiiantity to fix within the furamide.

resinous layer the reactive methylene group containing substance in a substantially nonvolatile and reactive form.

2. The process which consists in producing a mixture of a reactive methylene containing substance, phenol and furfuramide, said reactive methylene containing substance being present in sufficient quantity so that an infusible product" will result upon heating, and then heat treating said mixture.

3. The process which consists in producing a mixture of a reactive methylene containing substance, phenol and furfuramide, said reactive methylene containing sub stance being present in suflicient quantity so that an infusible product will result upon heating, heat treating said mixture until.sep aration into two layers occurs and then mechanically'discarding the supernatant layer. 1

4. The method of treating the resultant fusible substance accruing from the reaction of formaldehyde and a phenolic substance,

present in sufficient the formaldehyde bein quantity so that an infilsible product would result upon continued heating, which con-- sists in adding furfuramide thereto in sufiicient quantity to eliminate the odor of formaldehyde. c

5. The process which consists in produc- I ing a mixture of formaldehyde, phenol and furfuramide, said formaldehyde being present in suflicient quantity so that an infusi- .ble product will result upon heating, and thenheat treating said mixture. 6'. The process which consists in produc- 1 ing a mixture of formaldehyde, phenol and furfuramide, saidformaldehyde being pres ent in suflicient quantity so that an infusible product willresult uponheating, heat treating said mixture until separation-- into two layers occurs and then mechanically discarding the supernatant, layer.

7. In a one-step reaction of the character described, employing methylene groups as a hardening agent, the process which consists in producing the initial condensation product and supernatant layer, carrying the reactive met ylene groups from the supernatant layer into the resinous layer in a substantially non-volatile reactive form by the action of furfuramide and then mechanical- 1y discarding the supernatant layer.

8. The method of retaining the reactive methylene groups in, the one-step condensation reaction described, which consists in causing furfuramide to be present after the supernatant layer is formed by the initial reaction. I

9. Ina one-step process for producin a' condensation product from phenol an a 12 methylene containing substance, the method of fixing the reactive methylene groups in the resinous layer in a substantially nonvolatile reactive form by the action of furlene groups in the resinous layer in a substantially non-volatile reactive form and then mechanically discarding the superna- 10 tant layer.

Chicago, Illinois, this 8th day Signed at of February, 1926.

' FRANZ KURATH. 

